At first blush, this year’s Third Committee of the General Assembly looks set to be less eventful than recent years. Although there are no new resolutions, no new standard-setting instruments requiring adoption, no resolution on a moratorium for the death penalty (it is now biennial), and no formal proposal to follow up on last year’s statement to the General Assembly on sexual orientation and gender identity, a few controversial developments are forecast.

At first blush, this year’s Third Committee of the General Assembly looks set to be less eventful than recent years. Although there are no new resolutions, no new standard-setting instruments requiring adoption, no resolution on a moratorium for the death penalty (it is now biennial), and no formal proposal to follow up on last year’s statement to the General Assembly on sexual orientation and gender identity, a few controversial developments are forecast. Chief among these is the Committee’s dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on counter-terrorism (Mr Scheinin), whose report to the General Assembly discusses the 'gendered impact of counter-terrorism measures on men and persons of diverse sexual orientation and gender identities'.

Other highlights that ISHR will be reporting on include: how the outcome document of the Durban Review Conference will be dealt with; new voting patterns by the Obama Administration on key human rights resolutions; country resolutions on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), Iran and Myanmar; and the fate of the Secretary-General’s request for the head of OHCHR in New York to be upgraded to the level of Assistant Secretary-General.

For more information, see ISHR's New York Alert on the opening of the 64th session of the General Assembly.